Cyberspace Freedom

Being one of millions of surfers throughout the Internet, I see that fundamental civil liberties are
as important in cyberspace as they are in traditional contexts. Cyberspace defined in Webster's
Tenth Edition dictionary is the on-line worlds of networks. The right to speak and publish
using a virtual pen has its roots in a long tradition dating back to the very founding of democracy
in this country. With the passage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, Congress has prepared
to turn the Internet from one of the greatest resources of cultural, social, and scientific
information into the online equivalent of a children's reading room. By invoking the overboard
and vague term "indecent" as the standard by which electronic communication should be
censored, Congress has insured that information providers seeking to avoid criminal prosecution
will close the gates on anything but the most tame information and discussions.
The Communications Decency Act calls for two years of jail time for anyone caught
using "indecent" language over the net; as if reading profanities online affects us more
dramatically than reading them on paper. Our First Amendment states, "Congress shall make no
law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging
the freedom of speech, or of the press...." The Act takes away this right. The
Constitution-defying traitors creating these useless laws do not they understand the medium
they're trying to control. What they "claim" is that they are trying to protect our children from
moral threatening content.
This "protect our helpless children" ideology is bogus. If more government officials
were more knowledgeable about online information they would realize the huge flaw the
Communication Decency Act contains. We don't need the government to patrol fruitlessly on
the Internet when parents can simply install software like Net Nanny or Surf Watch. These
programs block all "sensitive" material from entering one's modem line. What's more,
legislators have already passed effective laws against obscenity and child pornography. We
don't need a redundant Act to accomplish what has already been written.
Over 17 million Web pages float throughout cyberspace. Never before has information
been so instant, and so global. And never before has our government been so spooked by the
potential power "little people" have at their fingertips. The ability for anyone to send pictures
and words cheaply and quickly to potentially millions of others seems to terrify the government
and control freaks. Thus, the Communications Decency Act destroys our own constitution rights
and insults the dreams of Jefferson, Washington, Madison, Mill, Brandeis, and DeToqueville.
It's funny, now that we finally have a medium that truly allows us to exercise our First
Amendment right, the government is trying to censor it. Forget them! Continue to engage in
free speech on the net. It's the only way to win the battle.





David Hembree
October 23, 1996
Dr. Willis